criminalize

verb

crim·​i·​nal·​ize ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 

ˈkrim-nə-ˌlīz

criminalized; criminalizing

transitive verb

: to make illegal

also : to turn into a criminal or treat as criminal

criminalization

ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

ˌkrim-nə-lə-ˈzā-

noun

Synonyms of criminalize

• outlaw
• ban

Examples of criminalize in a Sentence

a law that criminalized alcohol

wanted to criminalize an activity that the mountaineers had been engaging in for generations

Recent Examples on the Web

Seeking justice, centuries later Though the frenzy surrounding witchcraft in England faded in the decades following the Maidstone trial, and all laws criminalizing witchcraft have long since been repealed, the convictions of those women – and hundreds like them – still stand. —James Frater, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025

The second step, criminalizing all criticism, hardly needs detailing; most of the leading democratic dissidents, including in Poland, spent time in prison. —Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2025

Yet, the jury criminalized one set of transactions while sanctioning the other, without any meaningful legal standard to distinguish between them. —Jim Saunders, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2025

But this landscape can also criminalize innocent behavior. —Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

criminal entry 1 + -ize

First Known Use

circa 1956, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for criminalize

• actualize
• antagonize
• apologise
• apologize
• capitalize
• categorize
• characterize
• commercialize
• conceptualize
• contrariwise
• decentralize
• democratize

Legal Definition

criminalize

transitive verb

crim·​i·​nal·​ize ˈkri-mə-nə-ˌlīz 

criminalized; criminalizing

: to make criminal : outlaw

the statute criminalizing the use of contraceptives

—R. H. Bork

compare illegalize

criminalization

ˌkri-mə-nə-lə-ˈzā-shən, -ˌlī- 

noun